Author: News-Press NOW

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — When State Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) announced her decision to end her campaign for Missouri’s 34th Senate district on Wednesday, it generated plenty of attention.

The attention came as a surprise to Shields, who didn’t think her announcement would make waves among her supporters in the way it did.

“I’m just humbled. And I just didn’t expect the outpouring of support I’ve heard from people that I haven’t heard from in 40 years that reached out to me,” Shields said. “My heart is really warm over that. I can’t thank the people of St. Joseph and the community enough for caring so much.”

In a statement made to her supporters, she detailed her main reasons for withdrawing were to recover from an upcoming cardiac surgery and to mitigate potential stroke-related complications.

“I will say for everyone, it’s really important to visit your doctor on a yearly basis,” Shields said. “We’ve known my history. I have visited my doctor yearly and nothing had changed until this year…This is what’s creating the need to have immediate heart surgery, as well as what we now know what’s happening with my stroke risk.”

Brenda Shields statementDownload

She also noted that her first grandson was born within the past year and she wanted to see him grow.

Before all is said and done, Shields hopes to accomplish one more goal by the end of the year by creating affordable, safe and reliable childcare for families.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Starbucks said it will close some U.S. coffeehouses and cut about 900 non-retail jobs as part of a nationwide restructuring plan.

The company said the closures will affect stores that don’t meet customer expectations or show long-term financial potential. Workers at closing stores will be offered transfers when possible, with severance packages for those who can’t be placed. 

“That’s the one place that we come to to meet up with friends,” said Camila Grantham, a student at MoWest. “I started an 8 a.m. this semester and coming here before class is actually one of the best things.”

Starbucks has not said what locations will be impacted, but they will notify affected employees early Friday. St. Joseph currently has five stores that remain open.

“It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning,” said another student, Addisyn Hartman.

The company expects its North American store count to fall by about 1% this year before growing again in 2026.

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News-Press NOW

GENTRY COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Gentry County prosecutors filed charges against Lynsey N. Chan in relation to the death of a man in July in King City, Missouri.

On July 28, the Gentry County Sheriff’s Office, King City Police Department and MSHP’s Division of Drug and Crime Control responded to a residence located on South Grand Street in King City, where an adult male was found dead in the yard.

Chan is facing charges of delivery of a controlled substance, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter, according to court documents.

A probable cause statement filed in the case said Chan knowingly supplied fentanyl, a controlled substance, to the victim. A witness in the case said she observed the man take multiple hits of the drug by smoking it off of aluminum foil.

According to a felony complaint document in the case, Chan forced the victim to leave her residence and watched him through security footage, as he was showing signs of overdose, and failed to call for emergency assistance. The court document also said she advised others not to call for medical assistance.

The controlled substance charge and first-degree manslaughter are class C felonies that carry a range of punishment of a prison term of years not less than three and not to exceed 10 years, a fine not to exceed $10,000, or both imprisonment and a fine, according to a felony complaint document

The second-degree manslaughter charge, a class E felony, is punishable by a prison term of years not less than one year and not more than four years, by a fine of no more than $10,000 or both.

A warrant for Chan’s arrest was filed Wednesday.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two weeks ago, conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated at Utah Valley University. Now, different organizations nationwide have held vigils to mourn and honor the influencer.

The Catholic Newman Center is a registered student organization (RSO) at Missouri Western State University with plans to have its own vigil for Kirk.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, staff from the MoWest Division of Student Affairs and University Police met with representatives of the Catholic Newman Center to discuss plans for the vigil, which would be held “potentially outside on campus property”.

Soon after the meeting, on Saturday, Sept. 20, the MoWest Catholic Newman Center posted on its Facebook page, stating, “Join us this Wednesday, September 24th at 7-9PM at the Catholic Newman Center for a candlelight prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk. All are welcome!”

The MoWest staff claimed they then believed the discussion about the vigil event had been resolved.

Soon after the Facebook post, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph sent a request for a response from MoWest President, Elizabeth Kennedy, on Monday, Sept. 22, as to why staff members denied a vigil on campus grounds.

“It kind of took us by surprise because we just hadn’t had that conversation. In fact, even before that letter, we had reached out on Monday from Student Affairs to say we saw your post,” said Kennedy.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, an article was posted by The Lion, stating the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph wanted a response from President Kennedy about the alleged vigil denial.

MoWest released a statement following the posted article, highlighting the discussions staff had with representatives of the Catholic Newman Center.

According to the statement, during the meeting, representatives requested to hold the vigil in the MoWest Spring Sports Complex, a gated facility where the University’s baseball and softball teams play home games.

Given the potential size of the event and the desire to use the Spring Sports Complex, University staff explained, University policy states that liability insurance is required of all entities reserving non-traditional public forum spaces for events.

The groups also discussed the costs associated with hiring security for the event to maintain the safety of participants.

MoWest said, during the meeting with the Catholic Newman Center, other locations both on and off campus were discussed, but a definitive location was not identified.

“We’re still in conversation with the diocese. We will continue to provide them with the information that they’ve asked for. But again, we just want to make sure that accurate information is out there and that everyone knows that we support the First Amendment, that we support free speech,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy adamantly expressed the shock felt by university staff and wanted to remain transparent.

“We were just a little taken aback that what we thought was kind of a conversation, that then, the folks in the conversation decided to go in a different direction, but somehow it ended up that we were accused of doing something that we didn’t.”

Now, the Charlie Kirk vigil is still scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Catholic Newman Center, located at 4518 Mitchell Ave.

The vigil will feature local leaders speaking, praying and mourning the loss of Kirk. The vigil will also be held for the community to gather as a way to honor those who have lost their lives due to violence.

News-Press NOW reached out to the Catholic Newman Center and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for a statement and has yet to hear back.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing hosted a career fair.

The event took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Attendees met with various airmen representing over 50 different careers the 139th offers at Rosecrans. Some of those careers include: aviation, communications, air traffic control, firefighting, civil engineering and medical.

One of the main goals of the career fair is to help the community better understand all that the Air National Guard has to offer.

“Education is big. So we love to educate people about benefits, opportunities and really what all they can do for their country. And we love assisting them and making them more knowledgeable,” said Sgt. Andrew Rivera, a public affairs specialist at Rosecrans.

The Missouri Air National Guard’s 139th Airlift Wing will host the second day of the fall career fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 100B NW Rosecrans Road.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will close the ramp from U.S. Route 36 westbound to Interstate 229 southbound for concrete repairs.

Maintenance work will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25 and will last through the morning on Friday, Sept. 26.

MoDOT encourages motorists to find an alternate route during the closure.

All work is weather-permitting and schedules are subject to change.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Companies, businesses and vendors vying for city contracts will see an all-new system in place designed to modernize and streamline the city’s bidding process.

The City of St. Joseph is now utilizing a new electronic process called IonWave to streamline bidding procedures. The city hopes that by making the change, it will allow it to reach more potential vendors, alleviate errors and ensure a fair selection method.

The city previously used a manual bidding process, which required vendors to physically submit their proposals. Bid review, scoring and award decisions were conducted manually at the department level, resulting in inconsistencies and inefficiencies across procurement operations, potentially leading to missed opportunities for competitive bidding.

“What matters is that every bid, big or small, is managed the same way,” said Dawn Lanning, assistant to the city manager, in a press release Wednesday. “That consistency gives businesses and taxpayers alike confidence in the process.”

IonWave allows the city to post and manage solicitations electronically, eliminating physical submission requirements and improving access to bid opportunities, proposals and staying informed about procurement activities.

The new electronic system also restructures the bid review, scoring and awarding process by placing it entirely under the management of the procurement division within the finance department. Procurement will oversee the entire bid process from start to finish, ensuring its integrity and transparency and guaranteeing a standardized approach to bid evaluations, reducing inconsistencies and eliminating the potential for bias in decision-making.

“We want to make it easier for businesses to work with the city, while keeping the process fair and transparent,” Lanning stated. “More vendors competing means better pricing and better value for taxpayers.”

Vendors interested in doing business with the City of St. Joseph need to register as a supplier in the IonWave system by visiting stjosephmo.ionwave.net. Current bidders are being notified of the new process and many have already made IonWave accounts.

Anyone registered with IonWave can bid on City of St. Joseph opportunities. Those who are registered are notified when the city is seeking goods or services that match categories the vendor has selected. Having more bidders means the city is able to get a wider range of options, ensuring the best pricing.

The IonWave software went live on the city’s website this week, having been planned since spring. The new electronic system will be used for all future solicitations and vendor interactions.

Anyone interested in seeing the City of St. Joseph’s active bidding opportunities can visit stjosephmo.ionwave.net.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Runners will line the streets of St. Joseph starting and ending behind Civic Center Park in Downtown St. Joseph.

Race Director Brett Esely said over 600 people are expected to race in this year’s marathon.

“Just looking forward to showing them (the runners) a great runner’s experience anywhere from smooth check-in Friday afternoon at our packet pick up,” Esely said. “To a lively atmosphere in the park at the starting line and hopefully a lively atmosphere on our route.”

The full and half marathon, as well as the relay race, will begin at 7 a.m., followed by the 10k and 5k race at 7:30 on Saturday, Sept. 27.

A finisher medal will be given to runners after the cross, as well as first, second and third place medals for each age group will be handed out as well.

An overall champion’s medal is handed to the number one male and female in each race.

About 300 volunteers will stretch across the race route, and Esely encourages anyone to come out and support the runners.

“Any city that has a race of this type of nature, they’re sensitive to the route because obviously it’s why people come,” Esely said. “We wanted to make sure that we were showcasing St. Joseph landmarks and showcase things that make our city what they are.”

He mentioned some runners are coming from outside of Missouri and are coming back for this race as well. This year, a runner is traveling from Alaska to participate in the marathon.

“This route is not the easiest route they’ll ever run, St. Joseph is not a flat community, it is hilly,” He said.

To sign up for the marathon, visit the St. Joseph Sports Commission website. A post-race “chill out” will take place at Civic Center Park.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever stood out in the middle of Francis street behind Civic Center Park and have looked up west on Frances and thought iconic,” He said. “But when our race shoots through that setup and you see the runners take off and come back in and you see that police escort, when you look back up at the skyline of Downtown, you see the spires of some of our historic buildings, it’s a pretty cool scene.”

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) —  The St. Joseph Police Department is launching a new Police Explorer program for the community. 

The program is geared toward younger adults interested in law enforcement, giving them a chance to get hands-on training and real-world experience in the field.  

“We are really looking for kids around the ages of 16 to 18 years old that are interested in law enforcement and we give them academy-style training and educate them on what they would be doing,” said Sgt. Jemery Peters.

The goal is to inspire teens to consider a career in law enforcement and keep them engaged until they’re old enough to take the police test and join the force.  

The program is a joint effort with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, the Boy Scouts of America and several local donors who want to see it succeed  

“We are really trying to get the groundwork going and build this thing because it will be great for the kids to volunteer and benefit from the internship opportunities,” Peters said.  

Families can apply through a simple form, and parents can learn more by attending the information meetings hosted by the department.  

SJPD Deputy Sheriff Garett Thomas said the program is designed to help teens figure out if law enforcement could be the right career path for them. 

“I could see it benefiting in ways of keeping the law enforcement and in our younger adults in communication with each other, that can help them in many ways,” Thomas said.  

Thomas also said most of the training will be scenario-based, where teens act out situations and are evaluated on how they respond.  

The hope is to keep students in the program through age 20, giving them time to explore different career opportunities in law enforcement.  

“I just tell them it’s a great chance, especially if you are interested in learning about it or see if you’re compatible with it, because a lot of them don’t think about it and eventually get into it and love it for the rest of their lives,” Thomas said.   

Both officers said they’re hoping to see more family involvement, which could encourage more teens to join and commit to the program. 

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — An Interstate 229 resurfacing project is scheduled to take place beginning Thursday, Oct. 2.

Crews will complete an asphalt overlay on I-229 between Missouri Route 371 and I-29. The ramps of this section will also be resurfaced.

During construction, the roadway will be narrowed to one lane, with a 12-foot width restriction in place. Motorists should expect delays.

Crews are scheduled to work Monday through Saturday during daylight hours.

The project is scheduled for completion by November 2025. All work is weather-permitting, and schedules are subject to change.

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